new used 2014 b class

[user 688]

I just bought a lease back with low miles in Maryland. Put a full charge on it and went to the gym and grocery store wednesday night and left it in the garage all thursday with the GOM showing 85 miles. Hopped in it Thursday night and it showed 7 miles remaining. Tried to take it on an errand Thursday night, got 1/2 way there, and started getting range warnings, turn around, and limped home with 1 mile remaining. What would make it go from full charge to nearly empty shut down and parked in my garage for 24 hours?

 

[JeffRay]

SHF,

It sounds like something is wrong with the car and you should have it checked out by the dealer. First, the GOM would be at 85 only after a full charge, not after you have driven it around to do errands. How long did you have it plugged in and into what type of outlet? I had an instance where a new garage guy plugged in the charger but did not push the start button. I have also experienced an unexpected stop in charging. So I guess you should also check the charger you used that time.

Best of luck.

 

[user 688]

Thanks, Jeff. I used the 120 charger supplied with the car. I've not had a chance to buy a 240 EVSE yet. I am suspecting that cold temps are to blame, although my garage is normally 40 when it's below freezing outside.

The car has just passed the MB certified/pre-owned process only days before.

2014 B-class
11.34 kw installed PV

 

[JeffRay]

Yes, cold temps are a factor but would not alone take the car from a full charge to battery alert status as fast as you described. I use the supplied charger at work and know that as soon as you plug both ends in, the car charges without any other action. Perhaps the circuit tripped but I am guessing you would have noticed that the next time it charged.

Hm, any chance someone took it for a spin and did not know how to recharge it?

Otherwise, back to square one, take it in and have them plug the car into a computer to look to see what happened before it gets overwritten.

 

[GlennD]

If you are stuck using the 120V L1 charger make sure you switch it to 12A. It defaults to 8A. 12A is 50% faster but it could heat up a worn receptacle. The Lear defaults to a very safe current.

I charge at 240V 40A and the only time I used the supplied L1 EVSE was to test it. The car follows the J1772 protocol so on L2 it will charge just fine on a much cheaper 30A EVSE. I started at 30A and upgraded to 40A since my OpenEVSE unit just needed a new cable.

ON the Leaf forum they think highly of Clipper Creek EVSEs. If you need UL approval then stay away from the JuiceBox or OpenEVSE units. Me, I could care less.

Where I live snow is not allowed! That said cold weather reduces the battery capacity ( under 40 degrees ). On a normal charge at 80% my GOM will say 65 miles. If I reset it it will jump to the mid eighties. The extended charge does not show up on the meter. It just stays at 100% longer. Just pay attention to the charge meter and ignore the GOM.

 

[Acevolt]

Also consider the Chargepoint Home since it allows you to set the charge start time which is good if you can get on a Time Of Use electrical rate.

 

[user 688]

Well, we dug out of the weekend's blizzard and I was prepping the garaged B Class for a second test drive. I put it on L1 (the higher AMP setting) at 5:00PM last night with the GOM still at 7 and all the displays (Dash and charger) were indicating that charging was happening normally. Got in this morning after 8 hours of L1 charging and she was only up to 12 miles on the GOM. I've still not ordered my L2 because I am worried that I've got a lemon.

I am at a loss for words.

 

[jwarcd]

Let us know what the % charge is... This is a better indication of how full the battery is than the GOM.

 

[JeffRay]

There are two settings on OEM charger, regular and high. There is a button below the green LED display. 2 lights equals regular, 4 lights equals high. Do not run high unless you have dedicated new wiring to the plug or you risk damage to your wiring.

If you used regular, it provides as little as 0.6kwh. 8 hours worth at this rate means you added up to 4.8kwh or maybe 20%. Agree, use percentage, not GOM. In really cold weather and stop and go driving, you could get a 15 mile GOM reading.

If you used high, it can provide up to 1.2kwh. Even at this higher rate, to charge up car from 10% to 100%, this could take 24 hours.

You really need to plug in every night to keep topped up using the OEM charger. I do at work rather than wait until I get below 33%.

Try doing it as suggested and let us know if it helps or you got a lemon.

 

[JeffRay]

I use the Android app to see the actual charging rate. If you don't have an Android phone, you are stuck using the MB supplied interface using a Safari or Chrome browser. See other posts on this.

This is the way to know and monitor what is happening other than going out to the car and looking at percentage added.

For your issue, it could be:

1. The outlet you are using.
2. the OEM supplied charger.
3. the car itself.

Sorry but those are the only suspects.

 

[user 688]

WOuld love to use the APP, but two weeks after taking delivery, I am still awaiting the provision of the VVC from the dealer. Without it, I cannot use the APP.

 

[JeffRay]

Hassle them every single day. It takes them no time to get it from command central. If you are in a state with lemon laws, threaten to return as there are charging problems. Nicely of course.

 

[saabluster]

Well, we dug out of the weekend's blizzard and I was prepping the garaged B Class for a second test drive. I put it on L1 (the higher AMP setting) at 5:00PM last night with the GOM still at 7 and all the displays (Dash and charger) were indicating that charging was happening normally. Got in this morning after 8 hours of L1 charging and she was only up to 12 miles on the GOM. I've still not ordered my L2 because I am worried that I've got a lemon.

I am at a loss for words.

Have you had any resolution to the problem?

 

[wtzouris]

You have to come up with a L2 charging setup, and experiment with Range Charge in colder weather. Also reset three screens -- Trip Odometer, From Start, From Reset. You can even buy a Quick 220 systems setup and use two 120v outlets on 20 Amp circuits that come from opposite sides on the house service panel to make 240v AC . Then use a 12-16 Amp Level 2 charger. Some are inexpensive like $300-400. Full charge in 7-8 hours. Level 1 charging just doesn't work unless you live in a warm area, start at 100%, and only drive 15-20 miles a day. Level 1 charging typically adds 3 miles or range per hour. In the extreme cold, Level 1 charging may be using some power to heat the battery, so that the battery can be charged without damage. Is it a losing battle because there is not enough energy being supplied for what the car needs to do: Heat the battery and charge the battery.